


Halloween Dream

by DayRaincat



Category: Original Work
Genre: Bad Puns, Comedy, Don't copy to another site, Fantasy, Fourth Wall, Gen, Halloween, Halloween Challenge, Halloween Costumes, Holidays, Humor, Nonbinary Character, October Prompt Challenge, Roleplaying Character, Science Fiction, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27241192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DayRaincat/pseuds/DayRaincat
Summary: A group of original characters from classic online RPG's come together to organize and execute a Halloween party at the beach. Cheerful chaos ensues (and not just during the party). Toilet paper pranks! Costumed drunken beach volleyball! Someone keeps failing at not swearing! Water gun wars! Aliens everywhere! Lewd feline men! Terrible puns! (Look, if you're here, you probably got a direct link to this fic in my RP social circles, and I'm just telling you what you already know. :} Anyone coming in randomly is likely going to beveryconfused....)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 21





	Halloween Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Halloween party! Somewhat updated for 2020!
> 
> Gonna be a lot of notes due to people coming to read this who aren't familiar with some of the characters or RPG background. Sorry. :)
> 
> —Title comes from a (VOLUME WARNING: Tumblr sucks) [Yuki Kimura song](https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_qiug5laaCz1tjumsao1.mp3), chosen for no reason other than the name.
> 
> —This is the final part of OCtober 2020! **All OCtober 2020 prompts:**  
>  **Week 1:[Introduction To OC](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26765527)** \- Who's your OC? What are they like? What's their role? (Contains three screenshots)  
>  **Week 2:[Come At Me, Bro/In A Fight](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26946394)** \- Your OC is in combat! Who started it? How does OC fare? ( _The Elder Scrolls Online_ setting: contains seven screenshot "illustrations")  
>  **Week 3: Captured!/Arrested!** \- Guess your OC lost the fight! How do they cope with being taken prisoner? ( _The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim_ setting)  
>  **Week 4:[Game Over](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27187069)** \- Oh, no. Your OC didn't survive. What happened? How do others react? (Original RPG setting)  
>  **Halloween Grand Finale: Spooky Scary OC Adventures/Halloween Costume** \- Share some Halloween-themed fun with your OC! (You're here!)
> 
> —This is actually a few separate unfinished RP stories that I combined into one, which may or not be cohesive. Y'all ain't payin' me to spend all of October on this. XD It was supposed to be part of some Zelda Quest/The Grey Lodge/Aliroo RPG AU's many years ago that I ended up not having the time or mental energy to carry out, but I still had the old posts I wrote, so might as well rework/update and share now. :D This will probably make next to no sense if you weren't part of the RPG's where these OC's existed in the forms seen here, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun!
> 
> —Tried to invoke the spirit of those teen and college party movies from the 80s and 90s. I hope I've hit all appropriate beats of comedy, chaos, blooming love, and "it seemed like a good idea at the time." That last pretty much applies to everything I write, to be honest. Now you know the secret of my success.
> 
> —For the record, it's not specifically Dæniaryn swearing that Ra'ote takes issue with; it's Dæniaryn being rough and vulgar in general. But Ra'ote is more than wise enough to know that sometimes you have to pick and choose your battles. And that if you chip away enough at one wall, the rest will often come down on their own.
> 
> —OC credits appear in the notes at the end, to preserve a tiny bit of the "surprise" of who shows up (you know, the characters I don't already mention in these notes). They're partying on Earth, so, Earth-relevant costumes. Not all of them have major or even speaking roles.
> 
> —While I'm putting the OC credits at the end, I will clarify for newbies before we get into it: Trap and Ra'ote Jenryss/Cobalt Connery are all the same person ("different ages, different stages," AKA time travel is weird—Ra'ote's Hoop is a flying ∞-shaped time machine). Kiletti and Dæniaryn are the same (different) person (birth name vs common name). Apparently no one in these darn classic RPG's can go by just one name. XD
> 
> —All of the named characters in this are aliens. Most aren't even at all human in their natural bodies. Everyone except Fallin and the Alicats are using (mostly) humanoid forms while on Earth. I'm not gonna describe everyone's alien forms here in fine detail because if you don't already know them, you're probably not that interested for the sake of a one-shot story. :) Just pretend they're humans with...quirks.
> 
> —Will give ya an alien species crash course, though: Alicats are like anthro, winged, alicorn-ed cat-people; Aliroos are like winged feralform kangaroos; Sun Cats are like feral wildcats (when they're not in creepy cat-man form); water-element Children Of The Rainbow are anthro aquatic dragon-like; Hylians and Kokiri are—come on, you _know_ about Zelda games already, right? They're elfy people.
> 
> —Since they interacted here for the first time in rather a while, I'd like to take this moment to point out that there are two characters in this who I have been secretly shipping for almost twenty years, and I'm not normally big on ships. I feel like it's not difficult to guess who if you know them at all lolol. (I'm also not actually sure if they ever exchanged more than a few dozen words in-RPG....) Despite my shippy enthusiasm, their interactions here are not coded to be romantic subtext.
> 
> —So. Many. Inside. Jokes.

[Since this is a Halloween party AU, that means it takes place on Earth (one that knows of and welcomes aliens, at least). That means PANAMA CITY BEACH BAYBEEEEE YEAH]

**Wednesday, October 28th:**

"Blu, c'mon! Are you really gonna ditch me for someone from the _Angst Boy Deck?"_ Dæniaryn's face and colors were incredulous. "I thought we were doing the Halloween party together! Have you been inhaling the stuff they sell behind Purple Haze?"

"I'm not ditching you, Dæ!" Blu protested. "I'm just... _also_ coming with Vail. Instead of a couple, we'll be a threesome. Wait, that sounds wrong."

"But...Vail? Seriously?" Dæniaryn gestured back at the out-of-earshot condo deck where the aforementioned "Angst Boys" sat, stoic and bored-looking despite being just feet from the ocean. "We have this whole tourist trap town filled with fun people, and you pick some guy who sits outside brooding all day?"

Blu elbowed Dæniaryn playfully. "Why don't _you_ ask one of 'em to the party, huh? They could do with a little cheering up. Ask Seff or Trap."

"Seffryn's so sour he'll curdle my ice cream punch. And _Trap?"_ Dæniaryn made a choking sound. "I'm not asking a guy who looks more like my dad than I do, Blu."

Blu laughed. "Well, heck, then ask that new guy at the table, Leon or whatever his name is."

"Julian. And no, I'm not going to a party to do anyone else's emotional labor, thanks. _At least_ tell me we're still doing our costumes?"

 _"Of course_ we are, Dæ, whaddya take me for? I didn't spend months working on that costume to not wear it next to one of my best friends." Blu adjusted her sunglasses for maximum coolness aura. "I convinced Vail to dress up too. Since costumes are required and all. I think he'd look cute in a Team Rocket uniform."

Dæniaryn gave Blu a headshake, accepting defeat and not entirely thrilled with it. "He won't match us, except for it being a video game costume, but at least he'll _be_ in costume. What's the point of Halloween otherwise?"

"That's the spirit, Dæ. Get it? Halloween spirit? I know ya do." Blu slapped her friend on the back. "I gotta go work out some details with Vail, but I'll catch you later, right? You gonna be around early Saturday?"

"Nah, Dad's gotta teach one of his courses then. The one about training those Earth-born Aliroos in dimension-hopping etiquette. He wants me to help run the sound equipment this time. I get to play a big loud noise every time someone falls asleep." Dæniaryn grinned. "I'll be free after that, though I'll probably just be setting up for the party."

"Let's try to hang out before then." Blu nodded. "For now, though...."

"Yeah, yeah, go 'work out some details' with Vail. Just make sure you do it somewhere private. No one wants to hear you two fuckin' like Earth bunnies."

Ra'ote leaned out of a condo office window by the two and gave Dæniaryn a disappointed frown and sigh. "Kiletti...."

Dæniaryn jumped and blushed from the hair down. Ra'ote's Hoop hovered in front of Dæniaryn for a moment as if joining in on the admonishment. "Um...sorry, Dad."

"Yo, Co," Blu greeted, entertained at both her rhyme and the exchange.

"Hey, you, Blu," Ra'ote responded, smiling now. "Have fun with Vail. Kiletti, I'm going to Mike's Cafe for lunch in an hour if you want to come along. I'll let you know where to meet me." He ruffled Dæniaryn's hair and ducked back into the window with the Hoop.

Blu burst out laughing, and Dæniaryn slapped hand to forehead in frustration. "How does he always _do_ that? He's not _that_ psychic, and he's not even supposed to be working in this part of the building today! And he only does this to me—he doesn't care what the rest of you say!"

"I don't know what's more aodrable—I mean, adorable." Blu was still chuckling. "The way you try not to be vulgar around Co, or the way you totally fail at it every time."

"Get fu—uhhhhh, get bent, Blu."

"Stop flirting with me. Vail's gonna get jealous." Blu smirked and waved as she stepped backwards, away from Dæniaryn and closer to the Angst Boy Deck, where Vail sat watching the waves with Seffryn.

Dæniaryn sighed. It was time for another walk on the beach, to contemplate the Halloween party change of plans somewhere Ra'ote wouldn't show up if Dæniaryn let slip a swear word. Probably. Like, 50% chance. _I love you, Dad, but sometimes a shapeshifter just needs a little personal time to say whatever's on my mind. Even if you don't approve of the language used._

_*I love you too, Kiletti. I won't interrupt your walk, don't worry. And I only call you out because I know that's not who you really are.*_

Dæniaryn blinked at the telepathic message. _*Dad?! That was a personal thought!*_

 _*If you don't want me to hear your thoughts, be careful about getting so distracted that you send them to me.*_ Ra'ote's psychic voice was amused, then serious. _*Blu's not going to abandon you even if she's a bit occupied with Vail for a while. You know that, right?*_

_*Oh, sure. She just threw me off a bit. Now I have to change some of our plans on short notice.*_

_*Don't let it stress you—the party's supposed to be fun. You're going to be fine.*_ His words did reassure Dæniaryn, at least a little. _*Enjoy your walk. Meet me at the main lobby by noon if you want to come to lunch, all right, Kiletti?*_

_*I'll be there!*_

_*And definitely don't invite Trap to be your party date, no matter what Blu says.*_

Dæniaryn frowned, curious at the switch in topic. _*I wasn't planning on inviting him or anyone else as a date, but okay. Anyways, Trap is too much like asking out my little brother. If I had one.*_

 _*Something like that,*_ Ra'ote agreed. _*I'll let you have your time alone now.*_

Dæniaryn nodded to Blu and the Angst Boys (now including the "new guy," Julian) on the way to the ocean, and gave Blu a not-at-all-subtle thumbs-up. Vail had the sense to blush. Dæniaryn laughed and walked on.

**Thursday, October 29th**

It never fails: two days before the main event, your outfit always needs emergency tweaks. Dæniaryn didn't really mind. It gave an excuse to hang out with Blu before the party set-up. The past week had been so busy with the prep for Ra'ote's course and Halloween, there hadn't been much time to just sit and talk (and, now, sew) without it being about business.

"I don't think the new guy is actually angsty." Blu remarked while they worked out the final details of their Halloween costumes.

Dæniaryn stood at the bedroom dresser in Blu's condo, trying to get a band of fabric to stay flat. "What, Julian?"

"Yeah. He's more just kinda reserved. Shy? Anyway, he hangs out with the Angst Boys because they don't try to drag him into anything."

"I think I know where this is going." Dæniaryn spoke carefully around a large pin. "You're gonna try to drag him into something, am I right? Like the Halloween party?"

Sitting cross-legged on her bed with fabric draped over her lap, Blu winked. "Already did. I gave all the other Angst Boys besides Vail invites. They know costumes are required. I'm curious to see who actually shows up."

"Oh, this should be fun." It wasn't sarcasm. "What kind of costumes do you think they'll find on short notice? The angsty kind?"

"Haha! New kid said he might dress up as Prince."

Dæniaryn grinned. _"That_ I want to see. Quiet little Not-Angst Boy in his flamboyant best? Still, our costumes will be the coolest there."

The sound of scissors clipping accompanied Blu's reply. "Fer sure. Why is this _still_ too long after all the hemming?"

"Because you said you didn't need to follow the pattern?" Dæniaryn returned. "Hey, since you've been hanging out with them...what's up with the Angst Boys? Why do they just camp out by the ocean not doing anything every day?"

Blu shook out her costume top, annoyed at its lack of cooperation. "They live around here and go to college at Gulf Coast. This is where they relax when they're not doing anything for school. Not sure why it involves just sitting around staring at the water. Maybe they don't like swimming or volleyball. Heard Seff likes watching the dolphins, though. So I guess that's a reason to sit by the water."

"Ah, scholarly types?" Dæniaryn was impressed. "I thought maybe they chilled out all the time because they were stoners or something. Could be they just need to find a fun hobby. Can't fry your brain with coursework all the time. Even Dad'll tell you that, and he does complex equations for fun." Dæniaryn removed another pin and placed it next to the first, tightly held between front teeth.

"Well, maybe the party will open 'em up a bit, huh?" Blu re-pinned the hem of her top and carried it over to the sewing machine.

"We can hope that— _gah!_ My fucking tongue!" Dæniaryn spat out the pins and blepped at the dresser mirror to look for injury. "Ugh, at least it should be healed by the party. Not that I was planning on doing anything that requires a tongue but tasting and talking. I'm sure you'll be putting yours to more use with Vail."

"Not that I'm gonna give you the play-by-play, but maaaaaaybe," Blu said smugly.

There was a soft knock at Blu's door.

"And there's Dad, right on schedule to let me know he somehow heard me swearing from wherever he was." Dæniaryn sighed.

"It's almost 9 PM. It was time for him to come meet us anyway." Blu jumped off her bed and answered the door.

"Hi, Blu." Ra'ote met Dæniaryn's eyes, coming up into the entry hall behind Blu. "Yes, Kiletti, I heard you." His tone was both gentle and reproachful.

Dæniaryn stared at Ra'ote. _"How?_ The walls here aren't _that_ thin. And I wasn't even thinking about you when I said it!"

He smiled. "Parental privilege. Call it a sixth sense."

Dæniaryn threw up both hands in pretend defeat while Blu laughed. "Sorry, Dad."

**Friday, October 30th**

A man wearing FedEx colors entered the conference room. "Got a delivery for Mr. Rah...whatever? Jenr...ryss? And one for Cobalt Connery."

Dæniaryn, by the door moving tables and chairs for the class, tried not to laugh. Earthlings were pretty terrible with Hilocernic names in general. "Over there." Dæ pointed to the back of the room, where Ra'ote was setting up the sound equipment.

The delivery guy saluted and headed off in that direction, calling, "Mr. _Rah_...oh-tay? Connery? Delivery!"

Ra'ote barely reacted to the brutal mangling of his name, only correcting wearily, "Rey- _oh_ -ta. That would be me."

"Mr. Ray," the man said obliviously. "Got some stuff you haveta sign for. Feels like rocks or books. Is Cobalt Connery here too? Got somethin' for him at the same address. Or her?"

"Oh, I think I can find him somewhere around here," came Ra'ote's wry reply. Dæniaryn did laugh then.

Blu entered a moment later. "Dæ! You'll never guess who I saw on the beach!"

"It wasn't a FedEx guy looking for my dad, was it? 'Cause he beat you here." Dæniaryn turned for a moment and grinned lopsidedly before going back to the task in progress, attempting to separate two chairs that were determined to remain stacked.

"Smartass. I saw—"

"Oh, look, you were nice enough to give me a cue."

Blu and Dæniaryn spun around, startled, to face the owner of the new voice, leaning against the doorframe.

"Hey, Meow, how's it going?" Sallas greeted in his lazy, unconcerned way.

"Jeez, how long have you been stalking me? Ass!" Blu spat, annoyed at being surprised.

Sallas swished his tail. Even in a mostly humanoid form, he seemed more feral cat than man. "It wasn't you I was following. Just seemed like a good time to say hi to Meow."

Dæniaryn gave the stuck chairs an absent-minded tug. "Sallas? For real? What're you even doing on this planet again? Word was, you got bored and left for less Earthly pastures long ago." Blu plopped down on a free-standing bench and grabbed the legs of the chairs Dæniaryn was trying to force apart. At the back of the room, Ra'ote was still convincing the delivery guy that he could sign for both Jenryss and Connery, but was also keeping a wary eye on the panther-man with a reputation for harassing his adult child.

Sallas grinned, a slow spreading of lips exposing glistening teeth. "Heard there was a fun party happening in this part of the galaxy, thought I'd drop in....You know how it goes."

Dæniaryn looked to Blu, who shook her head and shrugged, also uncertain how Sallas found out. "So you've been keeping tabs on us."

"You, mostly."

"Yeah, well, you're barking up the wrong tree. Or would that be meowing? Panthers don't meow, do they?"

"You're not tall enough to be a tree, Dæ. More like a shrub," Blu cracked, mostly to cut the tension. She braced her feet and gave her stuck chair a good tug as Dæniaryn did the same on the other end.

Sallas winked and answered Dæniaryn. "Only under _very_ specific circumstances. I could take you to my room and show—"

The chairs popped apart. Blu flailed as the bench she sat on fell over and took her with it, while Dæniaryn stumbled back hard against a table, both dropping newly freed chairs to the floor. Sallas's tail jerked, perturbed that his brilliant Sallas-style come-on was interrupted.

"Are you all right over there, Kiletti? Blu?" Ra'ote called from across the room, concerned. The FedEx guy just stared, now absently holding out his digital scanner for Ra'ote to sign.

"I'm okay. The only thing bruised is my everything," Blu groaned from the floor.

"If I had a real spine, I'd think I'd broken the godsdamn thing falling on the table," Dæniaryn complained, offering Blu a hand up, then added preemptively, "Sorry, Dad."

Ra'ote just shook his head and took the delivery man's pen stylus in hand to sign. "Sallas, unless you have a key or some ID that says you can be on the property, I'm going to have to ask you to leave before I call security."

Blinking in that very slow feline way that somehow managed to convey both mild surprise and mild boredom, Sallas glanced from Dæniaryn to Ra'ote and back again. "Aww, are you two still playing family? That's so sweet. I've got another game we could play, just you and me, Meow. What do you say?"

Dæniaryn winced. "Oh, my _gods,_ Sallas, could you _not_ talk that way? Especially not in front of my father?"

Smiling, Sallas rolled his shoulders and pretended to stretch. "But that's what makes it so much fun."

 _"Sallas,"_ Dæniaryn growled, colors turning an irritated red/yellow combo. "Knock it off or go fuck yourself. Sorry, Dad."

Sallas laughed deep in his throat. "I'd rather fuck _y—"_

"Finish that sentence, and I'll make sure you leave wearing your severed tail around your neck," Dæniaryn threatened.

"Oh, Me _ow."_ Sallas laughed out loud this time. He gave Blu and Dæniaryn another wink and ran his tongue over his teeth. "Fine, fine, I'll see you around. Nice catching up with you all." He shifted from cat-man to pantherform and took off at a full run, cheekily knocking over the departing delivery guy on his way out.

[Author's Note: This is a low-stakes AU, so Sallas in this isn't "the creepy boundary-ignoring panther-guy who killed Dæniaryn and tried to kill Ra'ote." He's more "the creepy boundary-ignoring panther-guy who thinks Dæniaryn is a fun chase and might also be a serial killer in his spare time, but that's just jokes and rumors...we think." Which...isn't actually all that far off from Original Flavor AliRPG Sallas, come to think of it....]

**Saturday, October 31st**

**Halloween afternoon**

Now that the Aliroo etiquette class was done for the day, Ra'ote and Dæniaryn were finally able to relax a bit more. If, by "relax," you meant, "volunteer to decorate for a Halloween party." But they didn't mind. It was time spent with interesting people, sharing stories while everyone made the main events hall and adjoining private beach look suitably spooky. Most of the people helping out were guests at the condos for Ra'ote's course who'd also attend the party, which meant Ra'ote fielded newbie interdimensional traveler questions while hanging strings of skull lights and ensuring the speakers were properly spaced around the stage.

Blu had somehow rounded up the Angst Boys to help with the party setup during the morning, so it turned out they were done early, leaving everyone plenty of time to unwind before they had to put on their costumes and get their Halloween on. After lunch on the deck (with the Angst Boys, who were surprisingly cheerful), Ra'ote stood at the deck rail watching the ocean while Blu and Dæniaryn tore around the beach shooting each other—and the occasional Angst Boy, by "accident"—with water guns. Everyone except Ra'ote was already thoroughly soaked from the two's attacks. Trap had long since slipped away somewhere less risky to his laptop, managing to escape without taking a hit.

"Careful!" Seffryn yelped as he dodged a stream that nearly knocked his drink off the table. He took it and found a seat further back from the beach and the rogue water guns, trying to regain his former stoic poise after that uncharacteristic outburst.

"Sorry, Seff!" Blu called up, not at all apologetic. "That was supposed to go to New Guy!"

Water still glinting in his hair from the last attack, Julian blinked at Blu. "I have a name, you know."

"He's been here since summer break," Vail pointed out. "He's not really new anymore."

"Fine. He's Jude. And, hey, whose side are you on, anyway?" Blu asked, training her gun on Vail. He froze. Blu laughed and swung it back around to Julian, who dipped back, even further than Seffryn.

Ra'ote leaned an elbow on the deck railing, then rested his cheek in his hand. "I feel like threatening Vail with a water gun isn't the best way to begin your date, Blu," he teased.

Vail looked like he agreed.

Blu snorted. "I'd ask if you want to be hit next, but I have too much respect for you and your frail physical nature to soak ya, Co."

"Hah. Appreciated."

"So, instead, I'll hit your kid!" Blu turned on her heel and pulled the trigger on Dæniaryn, who had been in the process of sneaking in range to shoot Blu from behind.

Ra'ote laughed. "That's acceptable."

"No, it isn't!" Dæniaryn protested, firing (watering?) back at Blu.

The back-and-forth went on for a while, until Blu and Dæniaryn called truce to catch their breath on the deck.

"The one thing I really dislike about this place..." Dæniaryn remarked after a few minutes stretched out on a reclining deck chair "...the humidity. Why does it always feel like you're breathing underwater here?"

Ra'ote smiled at Dæniaryn. "That might just be from all the water Blu shot in your face."

"Sucks the life outta ya," Blu agreed. "I might be done out-targeting you for today, if I want to stay up at the party all night."

Vail, Julian, and Seffryn didn't say anything, but they seemed vastly relieved at that.

"Out-targeting me? You wish," Dæniaryn shot back. "Pretty sure I hit you _way_ more than you hit me."

"Wanna bet? But tomorrow. No more war today." Blu examined the water level in her gun's reservoir before tossing it onto the nearest table. "Unless someone's just _really_ asking for it."

"Save it for Trap," Dæniaryn suggested. "We never got him."

A sandpiper and two seagulls on the beach began fighting over someone's spilled fries, and that was it for conversation for a good twenty minutes. Seffryn, Julian, and Vail left to change into dry clothes and start getting ready for the party. Trap never returned. The other three stayed to enjoy the deck, until Dæniaryn sneaked in a rogue water shot at Blu, who'd dozed off on her chair in the sun.

"Gah! Dæ! What the hell!" Blu spluttered.

"Just making sure you don't sleep so long you get fried out here," Dæniaryn replied innocently.

"Oh, just you wait, Dæ—" Blu began, but Dæniaryn jumped from a sudden long spray of water to the side of the head.

Off to that side, Ra'ote put down Blu's (now empty) water gun and grinned.

After a few seconds of shaking off, Dæniaryn faced Ra'ote. "Dad! Seriously?! Aren't you supposed to be on my side?"

Ra'ote placed a hand over his heart. "A father should watch out for his child," he said, in that mock-somber, Cobalt-ish way. "You looked like you needed a little cooling off. I don't want you overheating before the party."

Blu snickered.

"Oh, _thank_ you." Dæniaryn stood. "Just looking out for me, huh?"

"Absolutely," he replied, taking a step back like he'd already anticipated this outcome. Of course, being Ra'ote Jenryss, he had.

Dæniaryn also took a step, forward toward him. "Let me show you how grateful I am, Dad. I haven't hugged you in a while today."

Ra'ote was already turning away, heading to the stairs. He hadn't lost the grin. "That's fine, Kiletti, I don't need to be thanked."

"Yes, you _'absolutely'_ do!"

Blu cheered the chase from the deck, even though everyone already knew how it would end.

  
[Author's stupid note: I'm pretty sure this was originally written as a response to the old pool party omake where Ra'ote pushed Dæniaryn into the pool lololol. I haven't forgotten about that!]

[Dæniaryn's note: I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN THAT EITHER. I'd say I still owe Dad one, but, luckily for him, modern-day me isn't really into antagonizing and pranking people I love. And, Blu, I swear that now I wouldn't shoot you while you're asleep like that....Unless you did it to me first. Revenge is fair game.]

  
A short time later, Trap walked back to the deck from the indoor cafe. It was most likely safe out there again—he hadn't heard any shouting in a long time.

He passed Ra'ote in the hall and stopped, casting a suspicious eye over him.

"Why is your shirt all wet?"

~~(Then, because Trap was too close to his future self/Ra'ote was too close to his past self, the Universe exploded and everyone and everything died and there was no Halloween party THE END (OF EVERYTHING)~~

**Halloween evening**

**Party time (finally)!**

  
[When there's no live music, just assume the background music is the awesome and rather unnerving soundtracks to [Paranoia Agent](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1E622DD4CA8FC7C9) and [Paprika](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTzLJ5jJnjg5-ocqq522j6VzZsiwTs04U), both by Susumu Hirasawa. From here on out, you'll be seeing frequent links to images and music.]

"Where's your costume?" someone asked Ra'ote for the dozenth time.

Ra'ote raised an eyebrow for the dozenth time. ["I'm wearing it."](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/a16540a5b546_Carl%20Sagan.jpg)

"But that's the same thing you wore in class today. Jacket, turtleneck, trousers. In different colors." This was a young red Earth-born Aliroo in human form, barely high school age for this country. Not one of the three Aliroos present at the class who'd needed a wake-up alarm from Dæniaryn.

Ra'ote sighed. "I can't help it if Dr. Sagan and I shared similar taste in attire."

The Aliroo wrinkled his nose. "Who's Dr. Sagan?"

If Ra'ote had been someone else, his reply would have been an incredulous, _"I'm running the wrong class here. Don't they teach you_ anything _about science on this planet? I'm not even from this dimension, and I know who he was!"_ As it was, he just shrugged and started to deliver a trademark Cobalt Connery mini-lecture on the march of science, but was distracted by his name called from the main door before he got a half-dozen sentences out. "Excuse me," he nodded to the other Aliroo, who looked relieved to not be experiencing Ra'ote's lecturing for a second time today and darted off.

Entering the hall was Miyubuki Katashaiyi, diplomatic and ceremonial Imperial leader of planet Felicatia, with her seven adolescent kittens sparkling around her. The younger Alicats all wore [glittering, glowing stars](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/d9426980b8aa_Seven%20Sisters.jpg) in their fur, while their mother's [loose green-and-white dress](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/832fcd7af542_ESO%20-%20Queen%20Khamira.jpg) was simultaneously more regal and less flashy. The Alikittens scattered as soon as they were all inside, eager to explore the party and find their friends. Miyubuki nodded to Ra'ote and drifted over in that practiced grace of a born noble. "Hallo, Ra'ote! Hallo, Hoop," she greeted the lemniscate, which bobbed once. "I assure you, I _am_ in costume," she added, smiling. "I don't know much about Earth, but when I discovered this feline character, I knew what I would wear. Apparently she is a queen, so I'm quite aware of the redundancy." The smile grew bigger, her whiskers and ears pushed forward in amusement.

Ra'ote smiled back. "That makes two of us in redundant costumes, then," he replied. "This isn't one of my normal outfits, believe me. Hardly anyone else seems to."

Miyubuki laughed. "I could tell! I don't think I've ever seen you wear red." She stepped to the snack table and gave it a curious, polite sniff. "What would you recommend? I haven't eaten since lunch. I'm not familiar with these Earthling spreads."

"Ah...most of this is just store-bought snacks. Kiletti made the ice cream punch, and if you'd like something more substantial than the food here, we have a buffet table with different kinds of ocean fish and side dishes...."

Miyubuki accepted a cup of punch, and Ra'ote cheerfully led the way to the buffet as the two began catching up on life and the challenges of parenting solo.

By the chairs, in similar costumes, [Dæniaryn](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/a83c186c5b52_BOF%20-%20Deis.png) was clutching onto [Blu](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/a69b91fa11f3_BOFII%20-%20Bleu.jpg) to stay upright.

[Sallas](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/324318d7b6d8_Nyan%20Cat.png) strolled up and grinned. "Having tail trouble?"

"Oh, like you don't know how those clawmarks got in my costume." Dæniaryn's naga costume had a homemade tail that was easy to move around in. Well, _had_ had one. It was mysteriously torn when Dæniaryn had gone to fetch it from the hall coatroom, so now Dæniaryn was trying to master the art of slithering on the fly, with a shapeshifted snake tail. "What's your game, Sallas?"

A look of perfect innocence crossed Sallas's face. It complemented the giant pink Pop-Tart he was wearing, but nothing could hide the predatory gleam in those eyes. "Me? I'm just here to have a good time. Anyway, you look better with a real tail than a fake one."

"Pssh." Blu placed her feet farther apart to avoid tipping when Dæniaryn stumbled again, and braced herself on her staff. "Dæ, you shoulda done Bleu's human version too. She actually _has_ one in your game. How did you even get in here?" she asked Sallas then. "This party is for condo guests and invited people only."

"You wound me, Blu," Sallas said, clutching his chest. "As it happens, I _have_ a room key. I'm staying here this weekend."

"Yeah? Since when?"

"Since I showed a nice lady all the things a handsome cat can do with his tongue," Sallas purred. "it's not _just_ for grooming. I could give a demonstration...."

"Gross," Dæniaryn groaned. "Look, I know the manager isn't going to kick you out as long as you're here legally and don't make trouble, so why don't you go get into some so we can get rid of you?"

Sallas shrugged. "The evening is young. Look me up if you change your mind about that demo." He walked off with a very feline slinking gait, rainbow streamers fluttering after him.

"I think he sabotaged my tail so I'd be easier to chase," Dæniaryn grumbled.

"Prob'ly," Blu agreed. She helped Dæ to a chair. "You gonna be okay here for a while I go meet up with Vail? Want me to find you a bodyguard? Some of the Angst Boys might volunteer. Wait, they're not here yet. Or I could help you over to Co?"

"Nah, Sallas doesn't want to get kicked out, so he won't do anything _too_ lewd in front of all these people just yet." Dæniaryn stretched the snake tail out across the floor. "I'm gonna use these chairs to practice my slither. It's not like I've never been in nagaform before; it's just been a while. Anyways, let's be real here—if Sallas made trouble, who'd be at more risk in an unarmed fight, me or Dad?"

Blu laughed. "Poor Co. He can't help that he's a bit squishy. Oh, hey, Seff and Jude just walked in with...that's gotta be Trap under that mask. Bet Vail's not far. Catchya soon, Dæ!"

Heading directly for the stage, Julian, who'd made good on his [Prince](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/a3bd87d9bc1e_Prince.jpg) promise, spoke to the DJ and was quickly afterward belting out [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3gzyvEQyo4%20), for no other reason than that it was playing while this part of the story was being written, and there was no Prince music on the playlist at the time. A good number of nearby people stopped what they were doing to listen and cheer (or heckle, because there's at least one in every crowd, especially if they're drunk).

The masked partygoer sat down a few chairs from Dæniaryn and pulled out his laptop.

"A hacker dressed as a [hacker](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/70e2ce3d6610_GITSSAC%20-%20Laughing%20Man%20Logo.png)? Bit on the nose, isn't it, Trap?" Dæniaryn grinned, recognizing the hair behind his mask. "Tell me you didn't come to this party just to DCC warez on IRC or something. You can do that anywhere."

Trap pushed up his Laughing Man mask and gave Dæniaryn a look that was both disbelieving and curious.

Dæniaryn laughed. "What, you think I've never been on EFnet? Have you even _met_ my father? Or me, for that matter?"

Trap, unsure if this was mockery, or conversation, or both, eyed the snake tail. "You're Deis, and Blu is Bleu?"

[Yes, this joke would work better if I were still using Dæ's old Dei name, which was the reason for the visual rhyme joke in the first place all those years ago....]

Dæniaryn flicked said tail, getting impatient to start moving around again. "You know your Breaths Of Fire."

"Yeah, but you know Deis doesn't rhyme with Dæ, right?" 

"Ha! No, Trap, I'm incapable of doing my own research. And I didn't hear you say 'Dees' out loud twice in a row just now. Just because almost everyone else is only reading this story, doesn't mean I am too. And your conversational skills could use some work." It was time to stop the snark and start putting the tail through its paces again. Dæniaryn carefully pushed off the chair and wobbled a bit, but kept balance and aimed for completing a circle of the other chairs, using the costume's staff prop for extra support.

In the middle of the third circuit, someone tapped Dæniaryn's shoulder. Dæ flinched and nearly fell over, thinking it was Sallas, but the hand was gentle and, more importantly, didn't deviate from the shoulder.

"Sorry, Kiletti! I didn't mean to startle you."

"Mom! You made it!" Dæniaryn twisted around to give Iris a hug and kiss. The tail made it a bit more of a difficult maneuver, but the two managed.

"I've missed you!" Iris said, kissing Dæniaryn's cheek. "Have you been having fun here with Ra'ote?"

"I have! Speaking of Dad, he's around here somewhere. I'm sure he'll want to say hi. Make sure you tell him his costume is good. People aren't believing he dressed up at all." Dæniaryn laughed. _"Your_ costume is attracting some attention, by the way."

Seffryn was examining Iris's basket of blue-and-purple flowers with no small amount of interest. "Oh, look at you!" Iris said to him, delighted. "You don't see a lot of cosplayers do the [humanform Inuyasha](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/8202a98e8de2_Inuyasha.jpg). I'm Iris. I guess you can call me [Iris Gainsborough](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/2dc257ce80b2_FF7R%20-%20Aerith.jpg), for tonight? Or should I be Irith? Anyway, what's your name?"

He was a little confused, not realizing that looking at floral arrangements was going to come with a lively conversation. "Ah. Seffryn."

"Seffryn? Oh, Kiletti told me about you. Nothing bad, don't worry!" Iris hurried to add at the look on his face. "You're the one who likes dolphins and flowers, right?"

Up on the stage, Julian had begun [another song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvUzcjPpw7o), chosen for the same reason as the previous one.

Having seen Iris walk in, Ra'ote approached before Seffryn had to remember how to talk to people. "Hello, Iris. Did you have any trouble finding the building?" The Hoop hovered over his shoulder in its usual spot, lighting up the space around it with a very Halloween-ish green glow.

"Ra'ote, hi! I like your costume." Iris nodded to Seffryn and handed him her flower basket, which he didn't protest. "It wasn't hard to get here. Have you been keeping Kiletti out of mischief?"

Ra'ote looked fairly mischievous himself. "I'm sure there's a reality _somewhere_ in the Universe where that's possible, but it's not this one."

"All right, all right, you two," Dæniaryn mock-complained, who'd continued practice-slinking around the chairs while Iris chatted to Seffryn and Ra'ote.

A roll of toilet paper came sailing in through the main door and bounced off the wall, leaving a long white trail behind it. [You can tell this is an old AU because, like the Halloween party itself, NOT IN 2020 LOLOL]

"I see the Halloween pranks have started," Ra'ote observed with a small laugh. "I can't tell if they were really aiming for anything or not with that."

Dæniaryn laughed too, by now itching to go outside and maybe engage in some holiday chaos as well. But first— "HEY! Someone get that mangy cat away from the punch bowl!" Awkward but trying to race, Dæniaryn slithered at the snack table, where Sallas was in the process of opening a large bottle pulled from somewhere inside his Pop-Tart. Ra'ote and Iris, less limited by their respective costumes and current physicalities, ran ahead.

A costumed volleyball game was happening on the sunset-stained beach. The curses (some in-character for the costumes, some very much out-of-character) of players trying to hit the ball without stepping on their own unfamiliar outfits and props made it a much more entertaining spectacle than Dæniaryn normally found the sport. The general lack of sobriety, people drunk or on something harder, certainly also helped.

"Good of you to finally join us, Dæ. I was about to come lookin' for ya." Blu nodded to the approaching Dæniaryn.

"Had to say hi to Mom. Then Sallas tried to poison my punch with Everclear or something, but we're good for now." Dæniaryn, a little less sure of the tail on sand than on the floor inside, still made it over to Blu and [Vail](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/5b88071ab682_Pokemon%20HGSS%20-%20Team%20Rocket%20Grunt.jpg) on their side of the net.

It wasn't any kind of regulation volleyball match. No one seemed to actually be keeping score, even though participants occasionally called out—or argued over—points earned. People joined and left the game at random. After going on for well over an hour even before Dæniaryn arrived, it didn't seem to have any kind of set endpoint. And Dæniaryn didn't know how many players were supposed to be on a team, but both sides of the net were so crowded that Dæ was pretty sure they far exceeded whatever the standard number was. Five of Miyubuki's children were playing in the match, scattered across both teams, and they probably didn't know how to play either. But they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Anything that involved chasing something was fun to most Alicats, and the ball frequently got bumped out of bounds.

"So, after this, what's the plan for the rest of tonight?" Dæniaryn asked after a while of what could only generously be called "beach volleyball." The other players were momentarily distracted by a minor dispute over which team got to spike. Dæ looked from the spat to Blu and continued, "I don't actually know what you _do_ at Halloween parties besides show off your costume and try not to spill food on it."

Blu eyed the ball, which was currently being bounced around between members of the opposing team. "You think I know the Earth party scene any better?"

"I just figured Vail might've told you something when you weren't making out. Or is making out all you two do when you're not playing volleyball?"

"I'm standing right here," Vail pointed out. His Team Rocket costume looked about half a size too big, but Blu didn't seem to care. "You could just ask me."

Dæniaryn couldn't resist. "About making out? No, thanks."

Blu snerked, and Vail groaned.

"Fuck you, dude! Your wings got in my way!" a man dressed as Princess Aurora yelled at a Weeping Angel on the far side of the volleyball net. The ball rolled away from them over the sand. Other people laughed.

Blu laughed as well. "They're playing horror movies all night in the cafe," she suggested. "All the empty ground floor offices are haunted houses or escape rooms. And there's karaoke onstage when the bands aren't playing."

Normally as regal and calm as her mother, Kyariko Katashaiyi happily pursed the volleyball across the beach. Both tails flashed with stars in the setting sunlight.

"Ha, Julian's dominating the stage, last I saw." Dæniaryn smiled. "Mom might be able to get him away from it, though. She asked me if I knew him, and she had a _look_ in her eyes. The same one you've been giving Vail."

"Oh?" Vail asked Blu, perking up.

"Knock it off, you know I like ya," Blu said, pretending to punch his shoulder.

Another roll of toilet paper came out of nowhere. It flew over the volleyball net, this time draping a number of the players, who yelped or cheered. The ocean wind gave it a surprising amount of lift—it had mostly unrolled by the time it lost its altitude and connected with the ground. "Whoever's throwing those is being really damn random with it," Blu remarked. "I've seen that one, another roll come down off the top of the hotel next door that didn't hit anything, and Vail said some of the cars in the parking garage just have loose long sheets hanging off them. Like someone got bored with the process."

"Someone threw another one inside. I hope they never stop." Dæniaryn grinned. "This is great—just the type of unpredictableness I live for."

"BALL ON!" one of three sheet-wearing ghosts shouted. This one was bright yellow with a pink floral pattern.

Dæniaryn didn't think that was what you were supposed to say before spiking a volleyball, but it got everyone's attention.

"Ball off!" a young Gandalf called back ("The Gay," her wizard's hat proclaimed in sparkly letters), and the ga(y)me was yet again interrupted for shenanigans.

"Ballin'!"

"Ball out!"

"Balls out!"

"Baller!"

"Ball 'er? Don't even _know_ 'er!"

And so it went. By the time someone finally got around to spiking the ball, most of the players were too out of breath from laughing to properly join in. That definitely included Dæniaryn, who only didn't participate in the dirty puns out of a suspicion that doing so would summon Ra'ote with his patented Dad Sigh.

Despite (or, more likely, because of) very few people actually knowing how to play and all the relevant chaos, beach volleyball was a blast. After a good while of being knocked over by flying volleyballs, other players, and one of them completely failing to smack the ball even once while trying to move on an unfamiliar tail, Dæniaryn, Blu, and Vail retreated back inside long after sunset to shake sand out of their costumes and recuperate. Luckily, there were enough empty chairs for everyone. By this time, most people were on the beach or dancing below the stage to one of the local bands performing.

"How'd you all do it?" Dæniaryn was asking Seffryn. ("You have such _cute_ friends, Kiletti!" Iris had whispered to Dæniaryn after meeting Seffryn and discovering Julian up on the stage. Even Trap got an approving glance, although by then, he'd had his mask back over his face. Vail missed out, being at the volleyball net at the time.) "The costumes, I mean. All Trap had to do was make a mask, and I know you can get a generic Team Rocket costume at any store, but how'd you and Julian pull yours off in only a few days?" Dæniaryn looked around sharply for Sallas, who would definitely have something to say about pulling off costumes if he heard, but, thankfully, he was nowhere in sight.

"Julian just raided his closet," Trap spoke up. He was still sitting in a chair typing away at his laptop, but he had an empty plate and cup on the floor by him, and he'd turned around to face the clear glass wall that separated the hall from the beach.

Dæniaryn was pretty sure he'd been watching the highly entertaining volleyball match, even if he was still being too...Trap...to join in. _Might be hope for this one yet._

"I had no idea Jude owned such shiny outfits or makeup," Blu said, admiring. "He really aced that Prince look, didn't he?"

The stage was quiet for the moment, between songs. Julian and Iris were standing by the steps leading up to it, very deep in conversation.

"Makes you wonder what other surprises he's hiding," Dæniaryn agreed. "I'm sure Mom's in the process of finding them out right now."

Seffryn answered when the others stopped talking. "My cousin runs the area Anime & Gaming Club. He asked someone to let me borrow a costume for tonight, so I gave him an invitation."

"You have a _cousin?"_ This was from both Blu and Dæniaryn.

Seffryn didn't respond this time, just raised his hand and hailed someone in the crowd.

A young man with skin, scales, and long hair in tones of ocean and twilight sky walked over, wearing [a costume](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/9da4471164ec_Zelda%20BOTW%20-%20Link.jpg) to match his colors and carrying a cup and nearly empty plate from the buffet. "What's going on?" he asked Seffryn. Twin long finned tails behind him swayed with his movements. "Did you want me to get you a plate, too? I'm about to go back for seconds."

Blu chuckled to herself. The others here probably didn't know Dæniaryn well enough to pick up on it, but Blu saw the interest in Dæ's shifting mood-colors when the guy joined their group. So did Ra'ote, who was again talking to Miyubuki and one of his Aliroo students nearby. He shook his head slightly and exchanged a smile with Blu, not missing a beat in anything happening around him. (Iris would've noticed as well, had she been standing closer.)

Seffryn shook his head at the question and pointed at Blu. "This is Blu, the one who gave me the invitations."

"Oh, hey," the newcomer said to her. "Thanks for that. I wouldn't have known this party was happening if Seffryn hadn't told me about it."

"No prob," Blu replied, then gestured to Dæniaryn. "This is Dæ, my cosplay partner in crime tonight."

"Dæniaryn," Dæniaryn clarified with a slight bow of the head.

"Ah, right! Seffryn's mentioned you two. I'm not sure how ominous you should find that. He told me that you're the reason he frequently meets me with his clothes soaked." He winked at them and then offered his plate to Seffryn, who took the lone remaining kebab with a quick word of thanks.

Blu examined the man in her typical bold manner. "So, you're Seff's cousin?"

"'Seff?'" He looked amused at that. "Yeah, that's me. The cousin, I mean, not 'Seff.' I'm Fallin. That's my name, not a verb."

"But you're so...not...ya know. Like Seff. In _any_ way."

Seffryn rolled his eyes. "I'm adopted."

A small tilt of the head revealed Dæniaryn's intrigue. "Wow, we're learning all kinds of things about you tonight, Seffryn."

He sighed. "You'd know if you ever asked."

"Like you'd answer," Blu scoffed.

Fallin laughed and patted a hand on his cousin's shoulder. "Hey, now, Seffryn's great. He helps me run my family's inn when he's not in class. He just needs a while to warm up to people."

Seffryn looked like he wanted to freeze out just about everyone who wasn't Fallin at the moment.

Dæniaryn looked from Seffryn back to Fallin. "If you hang out with Seffryn, why haven't we seen you around here before?"

"I lost my family a while back. I'm the only one left to run the business," Fallin said to Dæniaryn, a little more serious now. "Seffryn lives there with me and helps where he can, but most of the work needs to be done by me. Between that and running a social club, I don't exactly have a lot of free time during the tourist season. If we didn't shut down for the winter at the end of October, I'd've never been able to come out here tonight. I only have my own costume for this party instead of borrowing one because I made it for this year's Super Fanicon, but ended up being too busy to go."

"Ah. Sorry to hear all that." Dæniaryn was clearly regretting picking that line of discussion. Not exactly good party conversation.

Fallin tilted his head forward a moment, smiling. "Don't worry about it. You wouldn't know. It's not like Seffryn would've told you the personal details of someone you've never met. He almost never tells anyone his _own_ details." He examined Dæniaryn and Blu. "Matching costumes? _Breath Of Fire,_ right? And I'm _Breath Of The Wild._ We're all about breathing here tonight, eh?"

Dæniaryn again looked around in case Sallas was going to pop up with a joke about heavy breathing, but the room was still Nyan Cat-free. That could be a worrying sign in itself, or it could just mean he was getting laid elsewhere, and the rest of the night would be peaceful. It could also mean that Dæniaryn was actually the one coming up with the dirty jokes and deflecting them onto Sallas since saying them aloud anywhere near Ra'ote or Iris would be _too_ weird. (A little of Column A, a little of Column 69....)

"We're a regular breath of fresh air around all these boring sexy clowns and murder nurses. Or izzat the other way 'round?" Blu stretched and stuck out her tongue playfully.

"So, did you pick the costume around the tail, or is this just for tonight?" Fallin pointed to Dæniaryn's scaled lower half.

Lashing it around deliberately, Dæniaryn half-shrugged. "Just for tonight! Shapeshifter—I'm half Aliroo aura, you know Aliroos? You should've seen me trying to get around on this thing earlier."

"Dæ's not a naga—just an overachiever," Blu put in. "No way I was gonna crawl around on the floor when I've got these amazing legs."

"I'm kinda surprised as many people recognized us as have done so far," Dæniaryn said, amused at Fallin and Blu. "Your costume's game is pretty new. Ours have been out of fashion for decades. Well done!"

Fallin bowed with feigned formality. "I'd be a failure of an Anime & Gaming Club president if I didn't know classic games! Actually, you two should come out to my family's place sometime." He fished around in one of his costume's pouches and handed Blu and Dæniaryn a pair of business cards with an address and phone number. "Now that we're closed till spring break season, the club's going to be meeting there for the next few months. We get together once or twice a week to eat junk, watch random anime, argue over voice actors, play games all night—video games, tabletop, LARP, all that. Seffryn's already vouched for you both."

"Wow, really? Even after all the times we drenched ya, Seff?" Surprised, Blu glanced at Seffryn, who met her eyes without reacting in any way.

Dæniaryn examined the card. "Lissamni Inn And Restaurant? Hey, I know that place. You're out by St. Andrews. My dad and I go by you on the way to the park for astronomy nights."

"That's me! And you know Trap and Vail," Fallin continued, finishing his drink. "They're part of the club." Trap raised a hand in salute briefly, still focused on his laptop screen. Vail just nodded. "They've brought that guy Julian a few times, too. Speaking of, do you think he's finally done with the stage? He's quite good, but that lady's got his attention pretty well, and I was kinda hoping to do some singing too, before another one of the bands takes over."

Leaning back on the snake tail, Dæniaryn grinned. "That lady's my mother, and I can guarantee you she'll be holding his attention for a good while longer. And you sing?"

"Play, too. I brought one of my instruments along, just in case. I know a lot of anime and game songs, though I couldn't say that any of them are Halloween-themed. If I can't make it up on the stage, maybe we could all do a singalong on the beach? I'd rather that anyway. It's more casual."

Blu nudged Dæniaryn in what would be an Earth human's ribs. "Isles, Dæ, keep this guy around!" she whispered in Dæniaryn's ear, but none too quietly. "He's as big a geek as you and Co!"

Dæniaryn blushed all over and hissed back, "Blu, are you _trying_ to embarrass m—"

Overhead and off to one side, something white and round soared and landed in a punch bowl. Those nearby cried out and tried to avoid their costumes being splashed, but since it was store-bought punch and not the batch Dæniaryn made, Dæ was just amused at the continued toilet paper assault. And grateful for the narrative-moving distraction.

"Who keeps throwing those?" Vail looked around.

"It's more fun if we never find out," Dæniaryn countered.

Fallin was laughing (and politely pretending he hadn't heard every word between Blu and Dæniaryn). "You have to admire the dedication to their craft. I saw a roll fly out across the lobby when I got here. The front desk didn't seem to find it as entertaining as I did. I'd think it pretty funny if this was happening at the inn."

A shout came from one of the condo employees standing in a side doorway, who was dressed as Colin Baker's Sixth Doctor (the employee, not the doorway. The doorway was not in costume, unless you counted the fake spiderwebs draped around it.) "Escape rooms and haunted houses are open! Four people max per event, please!"

"Wanna go do a haunted house?" Blu asked Vail, who just shrugged but didn't look unhappy about the idea. It wasn't a no.

"Have fun," Dæniaryn said. "I don't think I'll hit up any haunted houses. Those kids in their stupid ghillie suits and chainsaw killer outfits, always going after the small femme-looking people in the group—I'll probably get irritated and say something that'll bring Dad in to be disappointed at me. And I'm pretty proud that I've gone all of Halloween without doing that."

[The author may find the similar haunted attractions at Howl-O-Scream equally irritating....]

"Don't jinx yourself, Dæ, it's not midnight yet," Blu warned, good-natured. "Come on, Vail, let's get there before the crowd does and we have to wait." She grabbed his hand and weaved a path to the door.

"What about an escape room?" Fallin asked Dæniaryn. "I was talking to the manager earlier. He told me the person who designed the ones here makes them professionally for theme parks. She's won awards for it, it seems."

Dæniaryn was definitely not going to complain about hanging out with Fallin longer. "Oh, yeah, that sounds more my speed."

"Hey, Seffryn," Fallin called over to his cousin. "Want to come do one with us? What about you, Trap? We've got room for two more."

"Yeah, you could totally join us!" Dæniaryn added.

"No," Trap answered, at the same time as Seffryn shook his head.

Fallin shrugged. "I didn't think so, but it was worth asking." He began looking for a trash can to toss his empty plate and cup.

"Maybe later," Dæniaryn said. "We'll see you two around!"

The two walked (and slithered) off in the direction Blu and Vail had gone.

Lurking up in the ceiling support beams with a drink in one hand, Sallas watched the events hall empty of his current favorite target. He wasn't actually that disappointed that the weird fishy-boy had swooped in. Dragon-fish-whatever-guy wouldn't be around all the time. And it wasn't like there weren't plenty of attractive people to choose from here. The less sober, the better. Maybe that teal humanform Aliroo in the [Zeon pilot costume](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/6cdbffd5e43a_Gundam%20-%20Aina%20Sahalin.jpg). She'd brought her own large flask and looked ready to party hard and drink even harder. Of course, she also looked like she worked out and could probably hit the life out of him if he put a paw wrong. But the challenge was what made it interesting.

Ra'ote, with his typical exceptional perception that was both psychic and mundane, hadn't lost track of Sallas once all evening, but gave no indication that he knew where Sallas was. Mostly, Ra'ote was relieved that Dæniaryn was in the company of friends, instead of moving around alone as an easy target for Sallas's harassment. He'd already made a mental note to introduce himself to Fallin, who felt trustworthy, when Fallin and Dæniaryn came back from their Halloween event. Until then, he kept answering his students' questions and conversing with Miyubuki, who always had an interesting discussion ready, thanks to her life as a diplomat. Given the usual company he kept (much loved, but frequently chaotic), it was nice to talk to someone who was almost as level-headed as Ra'ote himself. [Or, at least, they're very good at _pretending_ to be level-headed in a crowd. Anyone who's spent any time on the old RPG's—or read this story—knows Ra'ote can be as silly as he can be serious, and Felicatians in general are not known for their lack of good humor.]

Miyubuki also knew who Sallas was and where he was, though in the case of her sharp Alicat nose, it was as much by scent as by her mental senses. She'd been keeping as close an eye on her kittens as she could all evening, not wanting any of them to get tangled up with the panther she'd been warned about long ago. Thankfully, Sallas seemed as disinterested in his fellow feline aliens as her children were in him. So, although she kept watch with the long practice of being a mother of seven, mostly she relaxed and enjoyed the party and the strange but entertaining customs Earthlings had. It wasn't often she got to leave Felicatia for reasons that weren't diplomatic, and also not nearly often enough that she got to catch up with friends, especially not after losing Raianael. _I'm told that Earthlings believe the veil between worlds is extremely thin tonight, so, do you see our children from wherever you are, Raia? They're doing so well on this new planet! I'm so proud of our family._ She smiled and turned her attention back to the current conversation, flicking an ear and a tailtip in appreciation of a light joke Ra'ote made to the golden Aliroo asking him about Transdimensional Teleporter cleaning. (The Aliroo did not get the joke, sadly.)

Trap kept watching the party go on around him. He was enjoying himself even without taking an active part. Besides, this AMV he was working on for the Anime & Gaming Club wouldn't compile itself. The strap of his mask was starting to itch again, so he took it off for now, alternating a few times an hour between wearing it and not. Outside, he could see the never-ending volleyball game was getting rowdy again, helped along by the later hour and the fact that a number of the participants were many mind-altering substances in by this point. Currently, they were spiking part of someone's costume instead of the ball. He decided to move outside to one of the open deck chairs, where the cooler air was fresh and he'd have a better view of the game and the party, inside and out.

Julian had planned to go back on the stage after a short break since no one else was using it at the time, but once Iris came out of the crowd and introduced herself, his brief career as a Halloween party singer was done. Maybe it felt a _little_ strange that the person flirting with him—and he was trying to do his own awkward flirting back—was his new friend Dæniaryn's mother...who didn't look any older than her own child. And Dæniaryn's father—who, it seemed, was _not_ with Iris—was standing not far away. But no one else seemed to have a problem with the situation. And he certainly wasn't going to complain that a beautiful half-Elf had decided he was going to get the ~~leon's~~ lion's share of her attention tonight.

The next band setting up to play onstage announced they'd start in thirty minutes. Iris suggested moving outdoors to Julian, where it was quieter—if you counted loud drunken beach volleyball and people carousing on the beach as "quiet." Julian led her to the deck, but instead of sitting, she seized his hand and began dancing to the lively music playing from someone's stereo down on the sand. He stared at her for a moment before smiling and matching her movements.

Not fond of crowded rooms, Seffryn had already relocated to the deck when Trap showed up. He was protectively holding a cup in his lap that contained water and a bundle of flowers Iris had given him from her basket. In his mind, he went over her basic instructions for propagating them and her strange warning to not feel like he'd failed at growing them if they didn't blossom. Where to plant flowers that might never bloom? They couldn't go in the main gardens he tended at Fallin's inn, of course. Maybe the more wild side gardens that lay next to the state park dunes, where he kept his growing experiments. And he'd keep some in containers in his room, of course. As to the rest....

He glanced up, catching sight of Iris and Julian joining him and Trap on the deck. It wasn't long before Iris was dancing and drawing Julian into the dance with her. Halfway through the song, as she and Julian swung by, she grabbed Seffryn's wrist and pulled him up as well. He hurriedly set his flower cup on a table and let her bring him in. Of course he could dance; his adoptive family taught him a variety of skills growing up. But Iris and Julian didn't know that. A tiny smile sprouted on his face. It would be fun to show them what he could do. And he'd show Dæniaryn, Blu, and Vail when they came out again.

(Trap mostly looked relieved that Iris was out of free hands, and kept plinking away at his laptop. Before Iris and Julian came outside, he'd been about to recommend Seffryn ask Iris and Dæniaryn to dance later, perceiving Seffryn's mild disappointment when each walked off, thanks to Seffryn's friend and cousin respectively.)

"What the fuck! It's snowing?!" someone shouted from the volleyball game. The net was too crowded by now to identify the speaker.

"You fuckin' drunk? It's October! It's Florida! That ain't snow, dumbass!" someone else yelled back.

Shredded toilet paper floated down from the sky (or, more likely, the roof of one of the nearby taller buildings), drifting over the beach and getting all over...everything. And everyone.

Iris kept dancing and laughed, shaking a few torn sheets out of her hair, although more settled in almost immediately. Inside, Miyubuki and Ra'ote stepped up to the glass wall and peered out, amused. Trap just raised an eyebrow and brushed off his keys. Julian and Seffryn mostly looked confused. On the sands, Miyubuki's kittens chased the fake-flakes tumbling through the air. Even though the beach was crowded with costumed people in varying loud states of inebriation, the false snow fluttering across the sugar sands made the scene almost peaceful, like a very strange winter greeting card.

So, of course this story ends with the sound of Tiel Flyer punching the absolute hell out of Sallas in the events hall for being creepy and trying to sneak a gulp off her flask, and the approving (drunken) cheers that accompanied said punch from indoors.

**Author's Note:**

> Character info/player credits, alphabetical order by character (some are OC's, some are semi-OC's. Contains image links to the characters they're costumed as):
> 
>  **Blu Flyer** (species: Aliroo; costume: [Bleu/Deis](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/a69b91fa11f3_BOFII%20-%20Bleu.jpg) [humanform], _Breath Of Fire II)_ \- JM Lee  
>  **Dæniaryn Hyleyssa/Kiletti** (species: It's Complicated [Aliroo-Elf-human magic? In this continuity, anyways]; costume: [Deis,](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/a83c186c5b52_BOF%20-%20Deis.png) _Breath Of Fire III,_ though the image is from the first game because official art for _BOFIII_ is in short supply) - Me, sorry not sorry  
>  **Fallin Teyla Lissamni** (species: Children Of The Rainbow [water-element]; costume: [Link,](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/9da4471164ec_Zelda%20BOTW%20-%20Link.jpg) Champion's Tunic from _The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild)_ \- Me, still not sorry  
>  **FedEx Guy** (species: human, not that it's really important here. Repeat joke character from the very early days of TGL. I might be the only person left who remembers this dude? No clue who started it....)  
>  **Iris Deed** (species: Elf/human; costume: [Aerith Gainsborough,](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/2dc257ce80b2_FF7R%20-%20Aerith.jpg) _Final Fantasy VII)_ \- JM Lee  
>  **Julian Christopher** (species: human; costume: [Prince](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/a3bd87d9bc1e_Prince.jpg) [the one from the top of the music charts]) - JM Lee  
>  **Miyubuki Katashaiyi** (species: Alicat; costume: [Queen Khamira,](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/832fcd7af542_ESO%20-%20Queen%20Khamira.jpg) _The Elder Scrolls Online)_ \- It me  
>  **Miyubuki's and Raianael's seven children** (species: Alicat; costumes: [the Seven Sisters, of Kiowa origin legend for the Big Dipper](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/d9426980b8aa_Seven%20Sisters.jpg)) - It me again  
>  **Sallas Shadowbound** (species: Sun Cat panther; costume: [Nyan Cat](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/324318d7b6d8_Nyan%20Cat.png) [know your memes, Internet....]) - JM Lee  
>  **Seffryn Delfiranth** (species: Hylian-Kokiri [in this continuity, anyways]; costume: [Inuyasha,](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/8202a98e8de2_Inuyasha.jpg) humanform, from... _Inuyasha,_ will ya look at that?) - Me, forever not sorry  
>  **Tiel(luljah,** depending upon continuity) **Flyer** (species: Aliroo [in this continuity, anyways—Tiel and Blu are twins!]; costume: [Aina Sahalin,](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/6cdbffd5e43a_Gundam%20-%20Aina%20Sahalin.jpg) _Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team)_ \- Me, NEVER APOLOGIZE  
>  **Trap** (species: Aliroo; costume: [Laughing Man,](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/70e2ce3d6610_GITSSAC%20-%20Laughing%20Man%20Logo.png) _Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex)_ / **Ra'ote Jenryss/Cobalt Connery** (species: still an Aliroo; costume: [Carl Sagan,](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/a16540a5b546_Carl%20Sagan.jpg) from...SCIENCE) - JM Lee  
>  **Vail Blaize** (species: Pokemon human [mostly, usually?]; costume: [Generic Team Rocket Minion,](https://img3.pillowfort.social/posts/5b88071ab682_Pokemon%20HGSS%20-%20Team%20Rocket%20Grunt.jpg) _Pokemon,_ duh...I honestly just picked the grunt uniform with the best-quality image lolol.) - Kathryn B and JM Lee
> 
> —You have no idea how tempted I was to put Fallin in the Gerudo outfit.
> 
> —Alicats and Children Of The Rainbow are my respective invento alien species. Aliroos and Sun Cats are JM Lee's respective invento alien species.
> 
> —The band's back together again! By which I mean Dæniaryn and Blu. Poor Blu didn't get to spend much time with Dæniaryn once Julian showed up in-RPG. I don't really know what Blu's doing on Earth in this AU. I'm sure whatever it is, it's important, and probably both fun and dangerous. XD
> 
> —RPG people who don't know Fallin's backstory: "Oh, I guess you had to give _someone_ a Link costume. ;)" RPG people who know Fallin's backstory: "HAHA well played, Dae." (Direct quote)
> 
> —Super Fanicon is my baby, and I will _never_ let it die. 
> 
> —Can you still say "RIP Bechdel" if Dæniaryn isn't a woman? *LOL* (And no, I don't place a lot of stock in that extremely limited "test.")


End file.
